MattKendrick.com

The other day I was in deep thought about spare time. Where does it fit into my schedule. How much spare time, do I really have? So I decided to take a look at the average working person and how much spare time is left after doing basic functions. Working, sleeping, eating and exercise. I’m looking over the course of one week (7 days or 168 hours).

Working (40 hours)

Most average working adults work 40 hours a week. After working 40 hours a week, 128 hours remain. I didn’t allot for a 30 minute to 1 hour lunch break.

Sleeping (42 hours)

As an adult, you should sleep around 7 hours a night (6 nights, 42 hours a week). After working and sleeping, you now have 86 hours remaining.

Commuting (2.5 hours)

If the average commute to work is around 30 minutes (to and from work). Commuting five times a week you lose 2.5 hours each week. After working, sleeping and commuting you’re left with 83.5 hours of spare time. Speaking of commutes: 15 Cities for People Who Hate Driving and Long Commutes

Eating (10.5 hours)

If you spend no more than 30 minutes per meal (3 meals a day) you loose around 10.5 hours. After working, sleeping, commuting and eating you have around 73 hours left. This doesn’t include preparing meals.

Exercise (1.5 hours)

You should exercise at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes. There goes another 1.5 hours. 71.5 hours remaining.

Misc Activity (7 hours)

If people are like me, their weeks are not always the same. There is usually some kind of miscellaneous activity. Like grocery shopping, playing video games or cleaning. So we’ll budget that in as a buffer. 64.5 hours remaining.

So what am I doing with the remaining 64.5 hours? Well I’m not sure exactly. But I also forgot my commute is longer than the average I guesstimated. I commute around an hour a day (a difference of 1.5 hours). So I really only have 63 hours.

I may not exercise regularly. But I do watch TV. I spend at least an hour every night. So there goes another 7 hours. 59 hours remaining. My wife and I are fairly social. We like to spend time with our friends. However that mostly overlaps eating, watching tv and playing games.

But If there is 59 spare hours a week. Why am I complaining about not having time? I feel like, I never have time. When I do feel I have time. I’m not sure what to do with it. What do you do with your spare 64.5 hours a week? What could I have left out?

For the last few days, Hulu has been running a strange ad. The ad features a smiling electrical outlet, with the text “230 8/11″. What does it mean? I have no clue. Some say it may have something to do with some new energy saving technique. Others believe it could be linked to the 2010 Chevrolet Volt campaign, the new all electric vehicle.  The official website, doesn’t give any additional details. What ever it may be, I guess we’ll have to wait till August 11th 2009 to find out. Till then, lets sit back and take in the big confusing green ad.

How hard should it be to acquire an official copy of your college transcripts? I’m a firm believer in tight security of private information. But it should be a little easier to acquire your college transcripts. Our alma mater, Morehead State University, requires that you send a request form with payment. If you’re lucky enough, you will get your transcript in 2 to 4 weeks. You might as well make a trip to campus and visit the registrar yourself. However if you’re a current student or recent graduate, it’s a few clicks of the mouse and your credit card. Shouldn’t these services be available to every alumni of an institution?

There are a number of jobs that require a copy of your transcript to verify education status. I’m sure jobs, have been lost over pending transcripts. Not to mention late/miss enrollments to other institutions. Generally transcripts are sent to persons or organizations other than the person that requested it. Why waste extra time and postage? Granted, it’s not a life and death situation. But the delay does cause a lot of issues. Especially if the delay is related to getting lost in the pile of requests. Hopefully my wife will be able to get her transcript as soon as possible. Till then, remember: Life is hard, and you must pay taxes.